A New Way of Living
by BrewedCaster
Summary: Characters: Cast but MerDer eventually. Set after 5x15 but with some plot changes. R&R!
1. Chapter 1 – Unsisterly sisters?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters. Duh**

* * *

**Background**: This is mine so mine. FYI, Izzie & George never had sex but the drunken sleeping (literally) together did, confusing everyone – including themselves, resulting to the Callie and George's on going divorce (I have a slight change of timeline here), Callie is not a lesbian, Mark never looked at Lexie differently and is still, and probably always be, a manwhore. Yes, Mark and Callie happened during Callie-George Fallout, but it only made them BFFs. Derek's mother didn't visit yet. Izzie has no brain tumor, whatsoever. The rest happened until 5x15...

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

Meredith is sitting on a gurney in the empty hallway that they frequent to. She's looking straight ahead, though there's really nothing to look at, well except, if you plan to make a record in counting the cracks in one of Seattle Grace's walls.

"Hey, what did McDreamy do this time?" Cristina asks as she hopped beside her.

"What?" Meredith spun to look at Cristina

"You're looking catatonic. Oh well, the way you look when he does something unDreamy like." Cristina said nonchalantly as she opens her bag of chips.

Meredith refused to retort to that. "I think I may have made the biggest mistake in my life." she said looking at the wall again.

"Oh Mer, you have made a lot of mistakes. I'm not sure I'm following the worst yet."

"Oh no, really, this is the worst." Meredith said grabbing Cristina's chips.

"Out with it." Cristina said grabbing back the plastic and lying herself on the gurney so that only her head is up against the wall.

Meredith looked at Cristina straight in her eyes. "I agreed to have dinner with Thatcher's daughters later."

"So what? Ask them to pay for it. Free food. Yay." Cristina scrunched her face. "Did I just say 'yay' out loud?" she asked herself.

Meredith hopped off from the gurney to face Cristina. "Yep and what do you mean 'so what'? I'm talking about Thatcher's daughters here. Dead Susan's daughters." And added in a small voice: "The girls he replaced me with,"

"So is that the problem? That you might explode in the restaurant, in public, with those issues and kill them with silverware?"

"Exactly. I might need you to drag they're bodies later." Meredith answered sarcastically.

"So, call me," and with that Cristina's pager started to beep. "Damn, just when we're really planning murder." She hopped off the gurney but before she ran, she turned to Meredith and said, "Just go, it will be fine. You have to do it later anyway."

"Did you just say 'it _will be fine_'?" Meredith called out with laughter in her voice.

"Breathe it to anyone and I'll turn you in." and with that, Cristina took off.

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

Meredith saw them before she entered the restaurant. She was informed by Lexie earlier when and where they'll meet. And the girl was so freakin' excited that she wanted to cancel right there and then while talking to her.

She took her jacket off while easing to a seat in front of Molly. The girl has a deer-in-the-headlights look while Lexie just looked like she's about to burst with happiness. _"I wonder if her cheeks are hurting her"_ she thought to herself.

"Hi. So, do you frequent here?" Meredith asked to nobody in particular but glanced at Lexie first then at Molly.

"No, actually my first time too," Molly answered looking at the table napkin. She doesn't really know how to talk to her oldest sister. She doesn't even know if she wanted to be her sister. _"Maybe she does, that's why she's here"_ she thought to herself.

"My last boyfriend took me here before I started at Seattle Grace. Their steak is really delicious and they serve a variety of desserts!" Lexie answered with mirth.

As if on cue, the waiter approached their table and quickly took their orders. When the waiter left, none of them used their vocal chords. Meredith just looked around, Molly found an obsession with her napkin and Lexie tried to look somewhere else but kept on glancing at Meredith's face.

Meredith thought that her throat is drying up, "So, how is the baby?" she asked knowing it's a safe topic where they can all participate.

"She's growing really fast. She moves a lot now. She started taking hesitant steps on her own." Molly answered with a smile looking at a speck on Meredith's right shoulder.

"Uhm, that's nice. Did you baby-proofed your house, already?" She cringed at the lameness of her question.

The waiter arrived with their food breaking their conversation.

"Yes, we did," Lexie bobbed her head up and down as she made a fork to her mouth. "Eric got into it the moment we saw Laura standing by herself."

"So he's back from Iraq? Is he the one watching her now?" asked Meredith.

"Yes." answered Molly timidly.

Silence fell again as they continue to chow down their food.

After maybe a good five minutes, Lexie elbowed Molly so she can initiate the conversation again.

"So, Meredith...I can call you Meredith, right?" Molly asked with wide eyes.

"Sure." Meredith answered without looking up from her food.

"Uhm, how are you? I mean, how is your... house? Your friends? Your boyfriend... Dr. Shepherd, right?" Molly stammered, "Is it ok to ask that?" she looked at Meredith with those eyes again.

"Yes, it's ok. Uhm, the house is still standing," Meredith answered looking at her after swallowing. "My friends...are still my friends and Derek is still himself. They are good. Thanks for asking, I guess."

"Ok." Molly went back to her food.

Silence.

"How old is Laura now?" Meredith asked.

"She turned one three months ago." Molly answered while relaxing a bit.

"Yeah, she's really cute. Dad said before she really looked like you a lot when you were a baby." Lexie smiled but quickly regretted her words moments after.

Meredith sat straight on her chair and closed her eyes for the briefest moment while willing the universe to call her somewhere far away. True enough, her cell phone started ringing in her purse.

_Cristina_

Never in her life was she this grateful to her person. "Excuse me for a moment I have to take this" She quickly flipped the device open while she stood to go near the counter.

"Thank you so much!" Meredith exclaimed to her phone.

"Are they still alive? Do you need me to drag their corpses now?"

"I got it. I'll tell you tomorrow." Meredith closed her phone shut. Waited a few moments and went back to the table.

"I'm sorry. That was the hospital. Apparently my patient coded just now and is still not stable. So uh..." Meredith grabbed her coat and started to open her purse.

"It's ok we understand," Molly said looking up at her.

"We got it Meredith. It's ok, you can go." Lexie smiled at her though it didn't reach her eyes.

Meredith quickly fled to her awaiting jeep.

"So, that didn't go well." Molly said raising her brows to Lexie.

"I'm an idiot!" Lexie put her head on her hands.

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

Meredith opened her front door with a heavy sigh and dragged her body up to her bedroom.

She found Derek lying, half of his body is propped to the headboard with the blanket up to his waist, reading a Medical journal.

"I take it the dinner didn't go well?" Derek asked her as she crossed the room to the dresser. She slipped her shoes off and discarded her clothing to the floor. She took a shirt from her dresser and went inside the bathroom.

"Mer?" Derek tried again.

Meredith popped her head from to the door with a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth and shook her head to answer him.

Derek sighed and put the journal at the table beside him. He went to his side of the bed while Meredith climbed between the sheets. Meredith turned her back from him to be spooned. He reached out to her and she quickly held on to his hand draped across her waist.

"They have to bring him up." Meredith said.

"You'll have to talk about him eventually." Derek said softly.

"Eventually is so much better than actually." Meredith said closing her eyes.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Derek asked.

Meredith opened her eyes, "There's really not much to tell. It was awkward, lots of dead air. Until Lexie said that Thatcher mentioned that Laura looked like me."

"How'd you manage that?" He tightened his grip on her.

"Cristina saved me," Meredith answered with a smile.

"How?" Derek asked with a frown.

"With her super radar. I swear she has powers. Which I'll be eternally grateful for, by the way. My phone started ringing right after Lexie pulled that crap up."

"It's ok. There'll be next time."

"I don't think so." Meredith answered closing back her eyes.

"Give it time." Derek said closing his eyes too.

"Whatever. Goodnight Der."

"Night, Meredith."

Derek pulled Meredith closer as they slept.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! So, wachatink? wachatink? =)**


	2. Chapter 2 – A mistaken mistake

The following day

George woke up with only his boxers, lying on the floor at the foot of Izzie's bed, while Izzie is lying in her bra, half of her upper body nearly hanging from the bed while the other half is tucked under the blankets.

Almost instantly, he sat up, clutched his head at the abruptness of his actions and leaned on the bed while recalling what has transpired yesterday...

"_Geoooooorrge!" Izzie exclaimed from the bar. George has just stepped inside Joe's. Callie was left in the hospital since she still has some last minute check ups to do, so he decided to wait for her there._

"_Had much, Iz?" George asked as he sat on the empty stool on her right._

"_Nope, I only had a couple of beer. Really George, you call yourself my best friend? When, what…wait…two weeks? You haven't talked to me in two weeks!" Izzie squinted at him._

"_Couple, huh?" smirked George._

"_Yes. A couple. Two weeks, George!" _

"_Then why are you screaming?"_

"_Why are you avoiding my question?"_

_George __**is**__ avoiding the confrontation. He knew that Callie is jealous of his closeness to Izzie, that's why his avoiding her just to appease his wife. He has to do it right? I mean, she's my wife. I have to make an effort. George thought to himself._

"_Is it because of your Callie?"_

"_She's my wife, Iz. And look who's talking? You were also very busy about Intern Ball. What the hell is that about, anyway?"_

"_Well, I'm a resident and we're supposed to be teaching our internsss. So I'm teaching them while they're on OR probation."_

"_They're on probation, Iz. That's why they have to be left alone to think about the why they are on probation in the first place."_

"_See? That's why they're as dumb as they look."_

"_What?"_

"_Because we leave them by themselves! They can't even read a freaking x-ray, Georrrge! And we're supposed to teeeach them. Apparently, none of us did. Except of course Merrr, who taught her interns, one or two things."_

"_Hey, Mer is a wonderful resident! She didn't just teach us one or two things. In fact, she taught us a lot."_

"_Why, you are a loyal ex-intern, aren't you? Fine, Mer's interns are a lot better and Lexepeeedia. Do you know she's photographic memory?"_

"_Yes, I know that. And I know that you had way too many of drinks, too. I guess I'll call us a cab now, Iz. I'm bringing you home."_

"_Nooo! I'm not yet done drinking, Georrrge!"_

"_Hey, hey. What's going on? Do you have a problem, Iz?"_

"_No. None. I don't have a problem! I just want to have some drinkin'. Is that a problem, George?"_

_George thought that Izzie has definitely a problem so it'll be better to just go along with her drinking. But not here in the bar. You'll never know what will go out of her mouth if she'll have much too much alcohol in her system._

"_How about if we'll buy a bottle and I'll bring you home?"_

"_Really? You'll drink with meee?"_

"_Er—"_

"_My best friend's back? Hey Joe, my best friend's back!"_

_Joe just looked in their direction from the far end of the bar. He gave George a look that says: "Take her home."_

_George looked at Izzie. He felt guilty of abandoning his best friend. He doesn't know what's going on with her life now._

"_Yep. You're choice." George conceded._

"_Tequila?" Izzie asked giddily._

"_I don't think I can handle that, Iz. I'm not Meredith."_

"_I thought it's my choice!" She spat. "Scotch! Scotch! My foot is down." As she made her way down the stool to call Joe._

"_You're foot is really down." George thought aloud. Not really worrying but he knew scotch is not the type of alcohol they both can hold. He was hoping Izzie would pass out before he'd see half of the bottle._

_When they got to Meredith's, around one in the morning, they both went to the kitchen to get two glasses and proceeded to make a party for two at Izzie's room. George was sure they started with a card game where he knew he was bad at and drank more scotch than Izzie did._

He can't seem to follow what happened next.

"This is bad. Very bad."

He stood up and went to climb up the bed. He kneeled at Izzie's side and started to shove her bare shoulder.

"Izzie," George started gently. "Iz. Izzie. Iz, you have to wake up. We're going to be late"

"Shut up..." Izzie's voice was muffled against the pillow. She slowly opened her eyes but shut them immediately. She felt like her head would split into two if she'll open her eyes.

George glanced at the watch on his wrist. "It's already five-thirty."

"Stop yelling!" Izzie shouted at him still with her eyes closed, raising herself a little. She slowly opened her eyes.

"I wasn't yelling! You're the one who's yelling." countered George.

Then suddenly, Izzie gasped.

"What?! What's wrong?" George asked frantically when he saw her shocked expression.

Izzie looked below at herself under the blankets. She looked back at George with her eyes wide open.

"What is it, Iz?" George is panicked, suddenly forgetting his headache. He recognized Izzie's shocked, pained look.

"What happened, George?" Izzie started, still looking at him with those big scared brown eyes.

"What? What do you mean?" George doesn't honestly know what to say or ask. "We drank last night. You started from Joe's and we ended it up here."

Izzie sat up and pulled the sheets up to cover herself. She looked like she's about to cry any moment.

"Izzie! What is it?" George squatted in front of her with all the confusion evident on his face.

"I am... I'm... George, I'm..." Izzie stammered and suddenly noticing George's nakedness. "George! You're... where are your clothes?"

"What?" George exclaimed. He didn't notice his lack of clothing too. "I don't know. I guess on the floor" he looked around the room for his clothes. He saw them strewn everywhere.

Izzie looked around too. Her room is a mess. Their clothes are everywhere. George's shirt is hanging on the doorknob by the sleeve; his pants are on the other edge of the bed; the forgotten bottle of scotch is lying on its side by the door; two glasses are amiss on the floor, at the left side of her bed: one standing with its bottom up and the other is lying on its side with a hint of scotch on its rim; Izzie's blouse is covering the lamp on the bedside table.

"Iz, I don't think-" George voiced out slowly with his eyes still looking around.

"No! You have to think, George!" Izzie shouted at him. "Are you sure?" Izzie stared at George.

"I'm sure. I was pretty drunk last night, I don't think-"

"I said think!" Izzie stood up, frantically clutching the sheets around her.

"I can't really think right now, Iz! And I'm having a hell of a hang over." When George finally noticed that Izzie is not actually listening to him, "Izzie!"

"What, George?!" Izzie exclaimed, looking at him momentarily and proceeded to pick up the mess they created last night.

After a moment of silence and hesitation, "Did I even call Callie last night?" George asked as he climbed down from the bed to fetch his pants.

"I can't even remember where my pants are much less you calling your wife!"

George stopped mid-dressing. One of his legs is already inside one leg pant when he walked to her. "You're naked?" He asked with his eyes wider than normal.

"Yes, George! I. Am. Naked!" Izzie glared at him.

"I am sure nothing happened between us last night, Iz" George clutched her shoulders and made her look at him.

"So what, my pants and panties, magically went out of thin air?" Izzie let a tear down her cheek as she set herself free from George's grip. "I can't even find them!" She brushed the tear off angrily. Angry at herself. At the state they're in.

George finished with his pants, "I'm going to get us aspirins."

Izzie sat at the foot of her bed, forlorn.

"Found them!" George exclaimed when he stepped back inside the room. He raised his left arm with Izzie's lost clothes as if they were the answers for their nagging question. His right index finger and thumb clutched a glass of water while the rest are clasp around two tablets.

Izzie looked at him, less dejected, questioning him with her eyes.

"Bathroom." He answered. George threw the clothes beside Izzie and transferred the glass to his left.

He walked in front of her and opened his right palm, "Take these."

"Thanks," Izzie took the tablets from him. "I guess I took a trip to the toilet and forgot to bring back my pants with me." Izzie said, smiling a little after she gulped the water.

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

Derek woke up to the sound of muffled shouting. He checked the clock briefly and went to wrap his arms around Meredith.

Meredith shifted a little, welcoming his arms.

"Go back to sleep." Derek told her against the crook of her neck.

"What time is it?"

"Still too early" Derek answered lazily.

Meredith glanced at the clock and thought she still has time to doze off and will just wait for the alarm.

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

"Hey, Torres." Alex walked up to the front porch surprised to see Callie staring at the door.

Callie had been standing there for nearly ten minutes, unsure of what to say to the occupants of the house.

"I'm looking for George." Callie glanced at Alex with embarrassment. She's grateful for his presence but would have preferred Meredith to have seen her. She still can't figure out how she turned out to be this kind of wife. The kind who'll look for her husband even this early in the morning, right after her tiresome shift, when she can't find him waiting for her in bed.

Alex reached around Callie and twisted the knob open. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"We seldom lock the door." Alex answered her thoughts.

"Didn't Grey supply you with keys?" Callie asked as they both went inside. "That's dangerous. You should lock it."

Alex only shrugged. "Only when Shepherd came in last or finds it unlock."

Alex threw his coat at the table in the entryway.

"Go up, maybe he stayed in my room. I'm just gonna set the coffee." Alex offered to her.

"Are you sure?" Callie hesitated. She hasn't been up there for a long time and she usually goes with George.

Alex didn't answer her but nodded for her to go up.

"Bambi is surely lucky to have you." Alex muttered to her before he turned to the kitchen.

Callie blushed before going up the stairs. She had her hand on the knob of Alex's door when she heard her husband's voice from the other room.

_Izzie's_

Her insecurities are eating her away. Her husband spent the night with Isobel Stevens. She doesn't even know if they slept _together_. That is something you don't want to know. But her curiosity won over. She knows it's irrational, she's his best friend for Christ's sake, but she can't help building anger towards George. For both of them. He didn't even call. She contemplated on knocking but her anger is getting to her. She can't hear what they were saying so she went ahead to open the door.

George and Izzie simultaneously look at her direction. Both were mortified when they saw it's her, they wore a very shocked expression.

Izzie has sheets wrapped around her lower body sitting on the foot of the bed, only in her bra, holding her panties, in front of her husband, who only had his pants on.

Callie opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. What would you really say in a situation like this? She thought her brain is frozen in place. Good thing they have a neurosurgeon next door.

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

Meredith turned off the alarm before it goes off. She untangled herself from Derek to start her morning ritual. Which of course starts with her, giving him a peck on his lips. As she was about to leave their bed, Derek put his arms around Meredith's waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Derek smirked at her.

"Derek, it's already past six. We have to get up." Meredith complained half-heartedly.

"No, we don't. You're expected at eight, yet" He tightened his grip and turned her to face him.

"I still have to shower. And eat. Joys of cohabitation, right?" Meredith placed both palms on his cheek and smiled at him.

"I know another joy that we both like." He told her as he rolled them to pin her under him.

Meredith giggled as she let him nuzzle her neck with kisses. As Derek was about to claim her mouth again, they both froze as they hear loud voices outside their bedroom.

**gagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagagaga**

"Oh my god." Izzie dropped her panties and covered her face with both hands.

"Callie!" George rush out of the room as Callie turned around.

Alex nearly collided with Callie as she rushed past him. He saw the scene seen by her.

"Callie, wait!"

"Dude..." Alex shook his head at George and frowned at Izzie. He went straight to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.


End file.
